In our first question and answer episode we discuss a few
questions from listeners. First up we have a question from
physician Alexander von Essen in Berlin, Germany.

Alexander asks: "I am very interested in the concept of the
'triune brain' and I would love to hear something about it in your
podcast. I consider the concept quite useful."

Matthew gives a brief overview of the triune brain model that
was developed by American neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean back in
the 1960s and became a popular concept in the 1990s after MacLean
wrote about it in his book The Triune Brain in
Evolution.

The idea became more popular through Carl Sagan's book The
Dragons of Eden - a speculative look at the evolution of human
intelligence and through writings such as Jaac Panksepp's 2003 book
The Evolutionary Neuroethology of Paul MacLean: Convergences
and Frontiers.

So the model proposes 3 brain regions:

Reptilian Complex (or what some call the "lizard brain")

Paleomammalian Complex (limbic system or "emotional
brain")

Neomammalian Complex (the neocortex or "smart brain")

The model is a little simplistic from a neuroscience perspective
and it's evolutionary foundations are a little shaky. Nevertheless
it makes for a good shorthand when describing some brain functions
to clients.

Next we have Marc who asks

"I wonder how our feelings inform
our choice of words?"

And Dale who also asks

"I’m just drafting a paper on using
AEDP in psychotherapy with men. Part of what I want to explore is
how language that is accurate and true can reduce shame and
increase wellbeing and responsibility.

Much of my work over the years
has been with men who use violence in intimate relationships.
When I man says something like, “I lost it with her and
probably did some things I wish I hadn’t.” I might invite him into
ananexperiment by saying, “Would
you be willing to describe that again and use words that describe
your actions while also taking out "probably.” He may reply
with something like, "I slapped her hard across her face. I scared
her and broke her trust of me.” After describing his aggression in
an accurate and responsible way I often notice a sigh (which I
assume to be relief) and a change in the quality of his eyes, more
present, not vacant.

What I’d like to understand is
what part of the brain is changing in these moments. The feeling in
the room is very different."

Some of the resources that Richard talks about are:

Semantic System

https://youtu.be/k61nJkx5aDQ -
Nature video based on research by where it is shown that words and
their meaning are distributed all over the brain. Not only single
words, but single words in different places in relation to the
meaning changes.

For example, on the left-hand side of the brain, above the
ear, is one of the tiny regions that represents the word “victim”.
The same region responds to “killed”, “convicted”, “murdered” and
“confessed”. On the brain’s right-hand side, near the top of the
head, is one of the brain spots activated by family terms: “wife”,
“husband”, “children”, “parents”.

Emotional words:

Utka Eskimos have no linguistic concept of “Anger.” The
Tahitians have no linguistic concept of “Sadness.” This last item
is very difficult for Westerners to accept… life without sadness?
Really? When Tahitians are in a situation that a Westerner would
describe as sad, they feel ill, troubled, fatigued, or
unenthusiastic, all of which are covered by their broader term
pe’ape’a.

Panksepp's 7 basic emotions:

AWAY – Fear, Anger/Rage, Panic

TOWARD – Seeking, Lust, Care and Play

Benefits of speaking your emotions (writing too) - Look at the
work of Matthew Lieberman. And check out this study from the
University of California, Los Angeles. "Putting Feelings Into Words
Produces Therapeutic Effects In The Brain." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 22 June 2007. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070622090727.htm>.

Thanks for listening!

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About the Podcast

Topics on the science of psychotherapy and psychology hosted by the editors of The Neuropsychotherapist magazine. This podcast covers the neuroscience, neurobiology, biology, sociology, brain science, and even the quantum and metaphysical elements that affect our mental well being and how understanding these elements informs the psychotherapist and psychologist. This podcast also serves the readership of The Neuropsychotherapist as we cover the latest articles, news and events we are publishing.